Relocating to Canada from the UAE by Buying a Franchise.

If you are an accomplished professional residing in the UAE as a foreign national, you may be eligible to relocate to Canada by investing in a business in Canada, just like our client has recently done. The client was recently approved to come to Canada as an entrepreneur after she acquired a franchise in Canada for $149,000!

Background Information

Our client is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, largely with healthcare institutions, medical technology companies, and pharmaceutical companies in Dubai, UAE. Originally from Pakistan, she resides in Dubai, UAE, with her spouse and 2 children.

She intended to relocate to Canada as an entrepreneur to run her own business. She also wanted her family to join her in Canada. The client’s investment budget was around CAD $150,000, and she intended to buy a promising business in Toronto, ON, that was a good match for her background and skills.

The client retained our firm in August 2021 to assist her, and her family in finding the right business to invest in and relocate to Canada as a self-employed professional.

Investment & Relocation Process

Below you will find a detailed explanation of the investment and immigration process for this success story.

Step 1: Finding a Business & Company Formation – We assisted the client in identifying the right business that would closely match her background and skills, fit her investment budget, and meet the requirements of the Immigration Act (IRPA). After around 2 months of searching, we found a franchise company that was offering marketing services to hospitals and other large institutions in Canada. The client attended a discovery call with the Franchisor and was interested in investing in this business by acquiring territorial rights for Mississauga, Ontario. The total required investment for this business was close to CAD $149,000. Our team registered the client’s company in Canada so that she could acquire this business.

Step 2: Negotiating the Deal & Business Plan – Next, we assisted in conducting proper due diligence for the business and negotiated a deal with the Franchisor. We facilitated the negotiations between the client and the Franchisor, and both parties agreed that in case of rejection from the Canadian immigration authorities, the client would receive her original deposit of $55,935 back. Once the parties reached an agreement, our team assisted in developing a business plan for the newly acquired business. We also helped the client in opening a corporate bank account in Canada.

Step 3: Filing an Immigration Application – Once the parties executed the Franchise Agreement and the client completed the payment transfer to the Franchisor, our team filed the client’s application for a Canadian work permit under the Entrepreneur Class (C11). We also requested an Open Work Permit for her spouse and study permits for her 2 accompanying children.

Step 4: Decision – It took the IRCC office in UAE a very long time to approve the application – almost 12 months! During these stressful months, our team made many attempts to reach out to the IRCC office and other authorities to advocate on our client’s behalf. However, the IRCC’s office in Abu Dhabi was not responsive to our repeated requests to facilitate the processing of the immigration application.

Unfortunately, for the past year, we noticed that it has become common for this specific office to delay decision-making on immigration applications, and multiple of our clients have been negatively affected by these delays. We hope that the IRCC will prioritize entrepreneur and investor applications as foreign entrepreneurs create opportunities and jobs for Canadians, positively contribute to the economy and bring significant benefits to Canada.

Timelines

• August 20, 2021 – We were retained to assist the client and her family
• October 2021 – Discovery call with the Franchisor, negotiations, and due diligence
• November 2021 – Parties executed a Franchise Agreement
• December 17, 2021 – Application for Work Permit under Entrepreneur stream was submitted
• November 30, 2022 – the client and her family member’s applications were approved.

Congratulations to our client! We wish them tremendous success in Canada!

Why You Should Choose Sobirovs as Advisors for Your Tech & Business Immigration to Canada

As a business immigrant, you are presented with various options on how to immigrate to Canada. Even if the path may seem straightforward, you must understand that you are risking your money without any guarantees of a successful case. This is why we negotiated the franchise contract to include a provision in case of rejection for this specific client. You want to have an experienced legal team assisting you in every aspect of your business immigration, which would allow you to minimize the risk of rejection. Our lawyers continuously help foreign investors with their immigration journey to Canada and contribute to their success in Canada!

Take these 3 steps to learn more about your business immigration possibilities, and let’s team up to achieve your goals today:

• Step 1: Check your eligibility for business immigration programs using our Free Instant Assessment tool.
• Step 2: Check our fees using our Fee Calculator.
• Step 3: Book a 1-hour Strategy Meeting with our senior business immigration lawyer to discuss your immigration case in more detail. If we take you as our next client after this meeting, the fee you paid for the meeting will be applied toward our legal retainer.